• Serena Black •

"So many people advised me against you.
How glad I am we could not resist."

Completely stunned, Serena turned and stared at her friend, who seemed to be frozen in his seat and looked no less surprised than anyone else present in the Great Hall. Most of them still seemed to think it was a bad joke, but slowly the silence was followed by an angry murmur that began to fill the rows.

Serena had overheard that Harry would love to enter the tournament, but it was a mystery to her how he had actually made it now.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said stunned as life came back into him and looked desperately at his friends. "You know that!"

Serena noticed her mouth was half open and quickly closed it again. Beside her, Fred and George were heatedly discussing how Harry had managed to get past the age line without a beard. Hermione looked worried, while Ron stared blankly at his best friend.

"Harry Potter!" shouted Dumbledore again. Serena couldn't gauge what was going on in the Headmaster's mind right now. He had always been a mystery to her. But if he was angry, worried or confused, he didn't show it. "Harry! Upstairs, if you please!"

Hermione seemed to have recovered from the shock first and gave Harry a gentle shove when he made no move to get up. "Go on!"

Harry stumbled forward and as he walked in Dumbledore's direction, as if the gallows awaited him in front, the murmurs in the hall grew as well. The Headmaster, as the fourth champion disappeared behind the teacher's desk, turned to Professor McGonagall and whispered something to her. It seemed to be important, because she hurried out of the hall.

Serena's gaze wandered back to her seatmates and she was about to ask Hermione what it all meant, but she seemed busy talking down to Ron at that moment. The redhead still hadn't made a face, but his eyes narrowed to slits, his face getting redder and redder and his heavy breathing undoubtedly didn't bode well.

As Dumbledore turned back to the students, Ron rose and marched out of the hall, ignoring Hermione who stared after him with pursed lips. Confused, Serena glanced at her but remained silent. She was getting a headache with her jumbled thoughts of what it all meant.

However, due to the rising commotion, no one else seemed to have noticed Ron's departure and when Dumbledore raised his voice again to make an announcement, Hermione also rose quietly to follow the redhead. Without hesitation, Serena did the same and together they slipped into the Entrance Hall where they heard increasingly loud footsteps that presumably belonged to Professor McGonagall.

She quickly pulled Hermione towards the Gryffindor tower, where Ron had presumably disappeared. They practically flew up the stairs. Serena wondered why she never had the strength to get to her classrooms so quickly between lessons. It would certainly save her a lot of trouble now and then. In fact, the two girls managed to intercept Ron while still at one of the armouries on the fifth floor.

"Ron!" cried Serena out of breath. The redhead had much longer legs than her and Hermione, although you couldn't tell by looking at him, he could run pretty fast when he wanted to. As he was at this moment, he quickened his steps. "Ron, wait!"

But the Weasley kept walking, unperturbed, and Serena and Hermione tried doggedly to keep up with him. "Leave me alone," he demanded gruffly, not even turning to face them as he spoke. "You probably knew what he was up to, didn't you?"

"Ron, what's wrong with you? What are you talking about?" asked Hermione worriedly. "I know you're worried about Harry, but..."

Ron finally stopped, causing Serena to run right into him. But that hardly seemed to bother him, instead he stared darkly at Hermione. "Worried about Harry? He put himself in that position, didn't he!"

"Put himself in that position?" repeated Hermione, stunned. "You know Harry didn't throw his name into the Goblet of Fire!"

Ron glared at her for a moment before angrily continuing on his way. He stamped his feet on the stone floor louder than necessary. "How else would his name have got into the goblet?" he retorted. "Apparently being the famous Harry Potter isn't enough for him! No! Now he wants to be a Triwizard champion too!"

"Ron!" cried Serena, upset, a sudden gust of cool wind running through her hair, making her shiver. Presumably someone had left a window open. "You know him better than anyone. Do you really think Harry would have thrown his name into that goblet? Without even telling us? How could he have done that anyway?"

But Ron wasn't listening to her at all. He hurried up the last few steps to the portrait of the fat lady and hissed. "Fairy Lights."

Somewhat indignant at the not-so-nice greeting, the portrait swung open and the two girls scrambled behind him into their common room, which by this time was deserted.

"He probably used the cloak," Ron muttered grimly, settling into one of the armchairs by the fire, which cloaked his freckled face in a warm glow. But at that moment, there was something haunting about the way he talked to himself. "He found a way to get past the age line with it.... But he could have told me, the cloak would have covered us both!"

"Ron! You're making a fool of yourself!" scolded Hermione, settling down on the sofa with Serena opposite him. "Harry was as shocked as we were when his name was read out."

Ron, who had continued to grumble angrily to himself the whole time, turned to her. "It's always the same with him! He breaks the rules and yet he always comes out the hero! But I'm sick of it once and for all!"

He rose angrily and crossed the deserted common room towards the dormitories. "If you don't believe him, just ask him yourself!" shouted Serena after him and could hardly believe that he didn't seem to believe a word his best friend said. After all, they had known each other for four years!

"As if he would tell the truth!" he snorted contemptuously and disappeared up the stairs. Serena stared at the spot where Ron had just been standing. She knew him quite well by now and knew that this stubborn behaviour resembled his, but she had never expected such an outburst.

She could understand him though, being friends with the famous Harry Potter was not always easy, especially for Ron, who was often in the shadow of his siblings anyway. Being an only child had its advantages after all....

"He'll have calmed down by tomorrow," Serena said confidently to Hermione, but her voice sounded less than convinced. "Won't he?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and murmured, lost in thought, "I hope so..."

Her expression worried Serena a little, but she tried to be optimistic, after all Harry and Ron never fought. She was also pretty sure that the Weasley wasn't particularly resentful. They just couldn't do without each other. And if Harry had explained himself, Ron would surely finally realise that he was overreacting. But what would happen to Harry now? They wouldn't let him compete, would they? After all, his name had probably ended up in the goblet involuntarily.

"They're taking a long time," Hermione suddenly whispered with a furrowed brow, looking anxiously at her wristwatch.

"You don't think there are consequences, do you?" whispered Serena worriedly, fiddling with a strand of her dark hair. But after all, the teachers certainly had some things to sort out. After all, an underage student had been drawn for the Triwizard Tournament.

"I don't know," Hermione breathed barely audibly and Serena was beginning to get seriously worried after all. She had never seen her roommate so haphazard.

"Shall we wait for Harry downstairs?" suggested Serena finally. She could no longer sit still because of the tension and a little movement would certainly take her mind off things. Besides, they would be closer to the action and would certainly find out more quickly what was going on. Hermione seemed to share this opinion as she nodded hesitantly and made her way back downstairs in silence.

In the Entrance Hall, they were met by the rest of the students who were just leaving the Great Hall. The two girls were eyed in wonder as they did so, for presumably their classmates were wondering where they had been. "Serena, Hermione! It's time to celebrate!" shouted Fred and George, doing a sort of happy dance as they walked.

But the two girls paid no attention to them and continued to fight their way against the tide to the Great Hall. Serena didn't feel like celebrating anyway. When the last student had finally left the hall, they stepped in front of the door behind which the champions had disappeared during the ceremony. The torches were still completely extinguished, so the main source of light came from the stars and crescent moon of the enchanted ceiling, as well as the carved pumpkins.

"Do you think they're still in there?" whispered Hermione nervously, "Maybe we should wait upstairs after all..."

Serena approached the door and pretended not to hear her objection. She had little desire to walk all the way up the stairs again without anything to be sure of. They hadn't come back down for nothing, after all.

"Do you hear something?" asked Hermione quietly. Serena shook her head. "No."

"They've probably gone into Dumbledore's office," the top of the class speculated, nervously stepping from one foot to the other. "Let's just wait upstairs, they're not here anymore."

"Do you want me to knock?" asked Serena challengingly, trying to disprove her assumption. There was no way she was going to wait upstairs.

"Are you crazy?" hissed Hermione, reaching for her arm, which she had pointedly held out towards the door.

"Wait, I think I heard something," Serena said suddenly. Not just because she wanted to dissuade Hermione, but because it was actually true. Concentrating, she put her left ear to the cold wood behind which footsteps had been heard. A few seconds later, however, they had disappeared. Serena frowned before the door opened from the inside and she fell belly-down into the room.

Someone neither she nor Hermione had expected helped her up, in small part amused, but in large part concerned. "Serena?"

"Remus?"

The room she had fallen into could almost have seemed cosy with the roaring fire and comfy armchairs, had it not been for the 14 people who seemed to be arguing violently. They must have cast a silencing spell so that no sound of the heated discussion could get out. On the one hand there were the four champions, who stood somewhat confused at the side, and the three headmasters, who were discussing with Mr Crouch and Ludo Bagman. Also Snape, Moody and McGonagall, who seemed deeply concerned.

Serena also recognised her father, who under other circumstances would probably have laughed at her for her unfortunate fall, but was now staring at her with a very serious expression that almost frightened Serena. Remus pushed them back outside and closed the door behind them so they wouldn't disturb the discussions they were having.

"What are you doing here?" asked Serena in wonder, patting dust off her skirt.

"Professor McGonagall called us," he replied anxiously. "Shortly after the Goblet of Fire revealed Harry's name."

"What happens now?" she asked hesitantly. "Surely Dumbledore doesn't think Harry threw his name into the goblet?"

"Not that, but..."

"They're not going to let him compete, are they?" spoke up Hermione now, slapping her hand over her mouth in shock as if she could hardly believe it.

"It looks like it at the moment, I'm afraid," Remus sighed, looking no more thrilled about it than she was. Serena's mouth dropped open. "But they can't do that!"

"Barty Crouch's letting him compete, he's the judge." Remus ruffled his sandy-coloured hair, which had become sparser over the last few weeks. "Sirius is trying to change him and Dumbledore's minds right now."

"He can do it, can't he?" asked Serena confidently and Hermione also nodded in affirmation, but before she could say anything back, the door was pushed open for the second time and an angry Sirius came stomping into the Great Hall with Harry in tow. Serena knew immediately, judging by his expression, that he had apparently failed to get his godson out of the whole affair.

"Well, I think it's time to return to your dormitories and catch up on some sleep," Dumbledore said quietly, having appeared at the door behind them and seeming to ignore the angry looks Madam Maxine, Karkaroff and Serena's father were giving him.

The two foreign headmasters then angrily led their students to their quarters outside the castle and the rest of the teachers and Cedric slowly dispersed as well. Professor McGonagall gave them one more worried look before she disappeared and Snape rushed past them with a hateful glare, though this was nothing unusual.

"I don't think you'll have any trouble finding your dormitory," Dumbledore said, turning to leave. "Sirius, Remus, I'll expect you in my office in a moment."

"You have to compete?" asked Hermione, her voice shaky as she turned to Harry after the Headmaster had disappeared with his cloak billowing. "But people have already died! Besides, it's against the rules!"

"I think that's exactly the aim of whoever threw Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire," his godfather replied for him with a grim expression on his pale face. "After all, it's a brilliant way to attack someone and make it look like an accident."

"But who..." began Serena hesitantly, feeling a shiver run down her spine because that meant the person had to be at Hogwarts.

"Karkaroff."

"The Headmaster of Durmstrang?" inquired Harry, unnecessarily puzzled. Serena frowned. "He didn't look too happy about Harry competing just now, though."

"He was a Death Eater and there's a reason there's an Auror at Hogwarts this year. Mad-Eye was the one who took him to Azkaban," her father replied.

"They released him?" asked Hermione with raised eyebrows, chewing on her lower lip.

"He made a deal with the Ministry of Magic and sent a lot of people to Azkaban," Remus explained. "But Sirius, I don't think it was Karkaroff..."

"The World Cup, the Dark Mark, people disappearing, they're all not coincidences!" he hissed.

"Sirius..." Remus gave him a warning look, but Serena had long known what he was getting at and shuddered at the thought of you-know-who and that it might all have something to do with him. If that was the case, then this was probably just the beginning.